Waverley Academy

Overview

The report describes a school where leaders’ vision for pupils to develop core values is successfully realised, creating a “well organised and welcoming” environment. Pupils are “well-behaved” and feel safe, with staff maintaining high expectations that students respond to positively. The inspection highlights effective leadership, a strong team culture, and a curriculum that is generally well-designed, particularly in mathematics and reading.

Strengths

• The curriculum in most subjects is “well designed,” with leaders identifying the most important knowledge pupils must know.
• Reading is a clear priority, supported by “high-quality training” for staff and consistent teaching approaches that help pupils catch up quickly.
• Pupils feel safe and are “not worried about bullying,” with confidence that staff would help if concerns arose.
• Effective systems identify pupils needing extra support, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with staff working closely with external agencies.
• Leaders foster a “strong team culture,” ensuring staff feel well supported and that workload is carefully considered.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must identify the precise knowledge pupils should learn in a small number of subjects, such as physical education, to ensure important information is taught.
• Teachers need to spend more time teaching letter formation in key stages 1 and 2, as pupils are not forming letters well enough, resulting in work that can be difficult to read.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that leaders carry out thorough checks, staff receive regular training, and there are clear systems for reporting concerns.